The present device relates to a reverse rotation preventive mechanism for a fishing reel.
A fishing reel conventionally has a reverse rotation preventive mechanism for preventing the backward or reverse rotation of the rotor. The reverse rotation preventive mechanism is used, for instance, in a hooking action, to keep the fishline tightened when the fishline is wound on the spool after the fishline is unwound therefrom.
Such a fishing reel is disclosed in the Japanese Utility Model Examined Publication No. 63-64. The reverse rotation preventive mechanism of the reel includes a reverse rotation preventive member secured to the spool shaft of the reel, and an engagement member which can be engaged with the engagement toothed portion of the preventive member on the outside circumferential surface thereof to prevent the backward or reverse rotation of the rotor of the reel. The reverse rotation preventive mechanism also has an engagement restriction member for disengaging the engagement member from the engagement toothed portion when the rotor of the reel is rotated forward, so as not to generate a noise therefrom.
Since the reverse rotation preventive member of the reverse rotation preventive mechanism of the fishing reel disclosed in the above-mentioned Publication is provided at the center of the reel, the circumferential length of the member is not large enough and the central angle between the mutually adjacent engagement teeth of the engagement toothed portion of the member is not small. Since the number of the engagement teeth of the portion is 8, the central angle between the mutually adjacent teeth of the portion is 45 degrees. For that reason, the rotor is allowed to rotate backward or reversely by an angle of at most 45 degrees, after being rotated forward to wind a fishline on the reel by a desired quantity for the hooking action. In other words, as soon as the mechanism is put in action, the backward or reverse rotation of the rotor cannot always be prevented to keep the fishline tightened after being wound on the reel by the desired quantity.
Another conventional mechanism for preventing the reverse rotation of the rotor of a spinning reel for fishing, is disclosed in the Japanese Patent Application (OPI) No. 49891/79 (the term "OPI" as used herein means an "unexamined published application"). In the mechanism, engagement projections are formed on the inside circumferential surface of the rotor, and a stopper is supported at the front portion of the casing of the reel so as to be engageable with and disengageable from the projections, whereby the quantity of the unavoidable reverse rotation of the rotor is reduced to quicken and facilitate the hooking of a fish.
Since the stopper of this mechanism includes engagement portions extending in opposite, respective directions from a pivot point of the stopper so that one of the portions can be engaged with the engagement projections on the inside circumferential surface of the rotor and the other of the portions is engaged with a manipulation member, a large space needs to be provided at the front portion of the reel casing in a circumferential direction to dispose the stopper, a stopper support portion and a changeover means in place. For that reason, it is rather difficult to make the mechanism compact. Since the engagement projections come into contact with the latter engagement portion of the stopper at the time of the fishline winding rotation of the rotor, a loud contact noise is made and the resistance of the stopper to the rotation of the rotor is high when the circumferential velocity of the rotor is high.